Faculty & Staff Directory

Wayne E. Croft, Sr.

The Rev. Dr. Wayne E. Croft, Sr., serves as the Senior Pastor of the St. Paul’s Baptist Church in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Prior to this assignment, Dr. Croft served The Church of the Redeemer Baptist in Philadelphia for a total of 20 years. Dr. Croft is the founder of the Redeemer Renaissance Community Development Corporation, a life member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., OIC Chester County board member, and has been inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Croft has served as Dean of the Pennsylvania Eastern Keystone Baptist Association and as the Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Liturgics at Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University in Philadelphia and now serves as the Jeremiah A. Wright, Sr. Associate Professor of Homiletics and Liturgics in African American Studies at United Lutheran Seminary.

Dr. Croft has distinguished himself as a pastor, writer, and scholar, having earned an Associate of Arts from Pinebrook Jr. College, where he was also named Northeastern Junior College All-American Basketball player, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Trinity College, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts. He received the Master of Divinity from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Theological Seminary), Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary, and graduated with distinction from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, earning a Doctor of Ministry. He also earned a Master of Philosophy and a Doctor of Philosophy from Drew University. He is the first person to earn a DMin and PhD from Drew University.

Dr. Croft is married to Dr. Lisa L. Croft, a family physician and they have three children, Darlene (William), an attorney in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wayne Jr., a student at Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia, and Candace Nicole, a student at Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia, and a granddaughter Patterson.

Education

Publications

He is also a prolific writer. The African-American Pulpit Journal published his sermons; “The Promise Guaranteed, A Candidate for the Hall of Faith” and his article entitled “What Does it Mean to Preach Biblically Today.” He is the author of the book Unexpected Calls to Unexpected Places and contributor to the book, From One Brother to Another: Voices of African-American Men, Volume II (Judson Press) and Athens & Oxford Sermons. He has published three articles in the Past Master section of Preaching Magazine; “John Jasper: Preaching with Authority” (March/April 2012), “E.K. Bailey: Expositor of the Word”, (July/August 2012), and “Gardner Calvin Taylor: Poet Laurate and Dean of Preachers” (January/February 2016), as well as a chronicle of his journey to the St. Paul’s Baptist Church.